OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL: Juventus Women sign Alisha Lehmann

07/06/2024 06:10 PM

She's here and already showing us how well she can rock a fancy suit.

It wasn't that long ago that yours truly was expecting a quiet kind of summer for the Juventus women's team, with a managerial change and talk of budget restrictions being the main talking points during the summer months. There would be a few additions here and there to fill out the roster, but nothing that was headline-grabbing news outside of what we see on the Juve website.

That was until a week or two ago.

The first official signing for the Juventus men has also had a domino effect for the Juve women's squad, with a power couple of sorts now coming to Turin. The second half of the Douglas Luiz signing touched down in Turin this weekend and officially signed her contract with Juventus Women on Saturday, with Swiss winger Alisha Lehmann joining from Aston Villa just as her partner did a week ago. It is a signing that, all about a month ago, didn't seem all that possible or even on our radar, but with the desire of the Douglas Luiz-Lehmann power couple stick together, it suddenly was something that became a reality.

Douglas Luiz and the 25-year-old Lehmann are, as far as my memory tells me, the first public couple between the Juventus men's and women's team. (If that's wrong, feel free to correct me.)

With Lehmann, Juventus Women not only get a player who is looking to rebound from a 2023-24 season in which she battled injury issues, but also one that is already bringing plenty of new eyeballs to the Bianconere. Those who cover Juventus Women on a regular basis have already noted the social media impact of signing Lehmann, who is the most-followed female soccer player on Instagram with over 16 ¹⁄₂ million followers. Her brand will certainly bring more exposure to the Juventus women's team, and in turn the potential for a club that is set to sell one of the best players, midfielder Jennifer Echegini, to Paris Saint-Germain all of half a season after she signed following her career at Florida State University.

Where Lehmann fits on the field is another matter seeing as Juve's attacking options certainly aren't lacking. She joins a group of wide players that have just seen Barbara Bonansea and Lindsey Thomas both recently sign contract extensions, while Chiara Beccari — arguably the best homegrown attacking prospect the club has had since beginning a women's team — has returned to Turin and signed her own contract extension through 2027. There's certainly competition for playing time, and hopefully multiple competitions to spread the wealth following last season's early exit from Women's Champions League qualification.

Of the move to Juventus Women, Lehmann said the following:

"I'm overjoyed, Juve is a club with a great history. So much so that I have to be honest: I was a bit nervous when I got out of my car for my medical check-up at J|Medical and saw so many fans. But everything is great."

"I have spent my entire career in England and have learnt a lot over these years. I arrived there as a little girl, now I am more mature. In the last few years, I learnt to understand the different moments within the game, and I believe I can bring what I've learned through these experiences to Juve."

"I inject pace: I like dribbling, sprinting and of course scoring goals. But I also like providing assists for my teammates. I am happy to be a team player, which is another characteristic I have learnt to adopt over my career."

Let's hope that Lehmann's addition to the squad goes just as well as when they signed another Swiss national team member, center back Viola Calligaris, from PSG in January.